La Salle University
MUS 150-A Art of Listening
Midterm Exam
Name ______________________________
I. Listening Answer the following questions about the various works we have listened to in the course so far.
1. Regarding the element of Pitch, which of the following DOES NOT occur in “Love of My Life”?
a. notes
b. a motive
c. a long rhythm
d. a melody is “The Ball”
e. phrases
2. Which of the following is playing the melody in this example (after the first 7 seconds) of “Love of My
Life”?
a. bass guitar
b. lead guitar
c. drums
d. conductor
e. no one
3. After the instrumental introduction of “Love of My Life”, “The Ball” is split between which instruments?
a. bass and drums b. lead guitar and drums
c. voice and drums d. voice and guitar
e. no one
4. Regarding the element of duration, which of the following DOES NOT apply to “Love of My Life”?
a. repeating rhythms
b. non-metric
c. steady beat
d. medium tempo
5. Which of the following is absent from “Love of My Life”?
a. pitch
b. duration
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. none of the above
6. Which of the following is true regarding the element of duration from “Love of My Life”?
a. contains soft and loud sounds
c. contains phrases, cadences, melody and harmony
b. contains beat, rhythms and tempo
d. all of the above
e. contains a combination of different instrument types
7. What is the meter in “Love of My Life”?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. no meter
e. non metric
8. “Three notes up, followed by three notes down” in “Love of My Life” is a description of the:
a. beat
b. timbre
c. duration
d. melody
e. dynamics
9. If the meter is four, how many "bars" or "measures" is the drum solo at the beginning of “Love of My Life”?
a. one
b. four
c. three
d. seven
e. five
10. Which of the following is playing the beat in “Love of My Life”?
a. bass guitar
b. guitar
c. keyboard
d. singer
e. no one
11. Which of the following terms best defines the beat of “Love of My Life”?
a. medium fast
b. moderately loud c. high and low
d. melody
e. bright and dark
12. Bach’s “Bourree” contains a series of two notes simultaneously forming _________?
a. notes
b. harmony
c. a long rhythm
d.cadences
e. syncopation
13. Which of the following describes the timbre of Bach’s “Bourree” as heard in class?
a. no phrases
b. acoustic guitar
c. three notes up and three notes down
d. steady beat
14. Which rendition of Bach’s “Bourree”would have the greatest dynamic range?
a. an mp3 recording b. a radio broadcast c. a compressed WAV file
d. a live performance
15.. Which of the following refers to the effect on the voice in “Bed Intruder Song” by Antoine Dobson?
a. Absolute Volume b. Master Rhythm
c. Perfect Melody d. Auto Tune e. Computer Voice
16. Which of the following is true regarding duration from “Bed Intruder Song” by Antoine Dobson?
a. contains soft and loud sounds
c. contains phrases, cadences, melody and harmony
b. contains beat, rhythms and meter
d. all of the above
e. contains a combination of different instrument types
17. Is there "a ball" in this “Bed Intruder Song” by Antoine Dobson?
a. yes, it is in different instruments
b. yes, it is in the voice
c. no, there is no sound
d. yes, it is implied
e. no, the composer did not like sports
II. Multiple Choice – Music Terminology
18. The Energy of a piece of music, including the beats and rhythms is referred to as the:
a. beat
b. melody c. cadence d. repeat
e. groove
19. Which of the following is a measurement of cycles to determine pitch?
a. mp3
b. Hertz
c. Compression
d. Beatz
e. Tempo
20. Which of the following abbreviations refers to the timbre of a choral work?
a. AABA
b. EBGDF c. SATB
d. forte
e. form
21. Auto tune bends a ________ to an exact _________
a. note, pitch
b. rhythm, beat c. dynamic, volume
d. beat, meter
e. timbre, frequency
22. The decibel level of an acoustic classical guitar is approximately:
a. 20-60 dB
b. 100 dB
c. 150 dB
d. 180 dB
e. over 200 dB
23. What must be present in order for an ensemble to be considered an orchestra?
a. brass b. each of the instrument families
c. woodwinds
d. bowed strings
24. A sudden dynamic change is called a ____________?
a. subito
b. prospero
c. tempo
d. soprano
e. over 25 people
e. burrito
25. In any piece of music, which timbre is always present?
a. drums
b. bass c. cymbals
d. violin
e. there is no requirement for a specific timbre
26 The term "decrescendo" means to gradually get:
a. louder
b. faster
c. lower in pitch
d. softer
e. slower
27. Which of the following is NOT considered a "family" of instruments?
a. Woodwind
b. String
c. Brass
d. Violin
e. Percussion
28. The _______ of a musical work is usually grouped in 2s, 3s OR 4s.
a. interval
b. pitch
c. meter
d. dynamics
e. cadence
29. The steady underlying pulse that occurs in a piece of music is called the:
a. beat
b. pitch
c. timbre
d. dynamic
e. conjunct interval
30. In jazz, one time through the song structure (ex. in a solo) is called a:
a. resolution
b. soprano
c. chorus
d. timbre
e. subito
31. Which of the following is not specifically an element or property of music?
a. duration
b. harmony
c. pitch
d. dynamics
e. timbre
32. Which of the following terms is a series of pitches played one at a time to form a logical idea?
a. melody
b. sound quality/tone color
c. tempo
d. chord
e. harmony
33. In any piece of music, the beat will always be played by the:
a. drums
b. bass c. cymbals
d. violins
e. it might not be played at all
34 The term "crescendo" means to gradually get:
a. louder
b. faster
c. higher in pitch
d. softer
e. slower
35. Which of the following is not required to fit our definition of music?
a. time
b. organization
c. singing
d. sound
36. Which of the following is the MOST COMMON voice type for a male?
a. tenor
b. baritone c. bass
d. falsetto e. alto
37. The Loudness Wars have contributed to recorded music sounding:
a. softer
b. cleaner c. denser
d. thinner
e. all of the above
38. Which of the following is the highest voice type for a female?
a. soprano b. contralto c. mezzo-piano
d. mezzo-soprano
e. alto
39. A shorter string length will produce a ____________ pitch than a longer string length.
a. louder
b. softer
c. bigger
d. higher
e. closer
40. Which of the following is a description of the sounds you are hearing?
a. duration
b. harmony
c. pitch
d. dynamics
e. timbre
41. Consonances and dissonances are descriptions between:
a. beats
b. instruments
c. volumes
d. harmonies
e. people
42. In an orchestra, the specific bowings (up and down) for the violin section is decided by:
a. conductor
b. composer
c. individual violinist
d. concertmaster e. rock, paper, scissors
43. The words "long" and "short" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. rhythm
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. motive
44. The words "loud" and "soft" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. rhythm
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. tempo
45. The words "fast" and "slow" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. motive
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. tempo
46. Which of the following families may be bowed or plucked?
a. Woodwind
b. String
c. Percussion
d. Keyboard
e. Brass
47. A singer (and some instrumentalists) often incorporates _______ in pitch for expression.
a. a snare drum
b. new lyrics
c. harmony d. vibrato e. a conductor
48. The file size of an mp3 version of a song is ________________ that of the original.
a. the same as b. the same length as c. smaller than
d. more muffled than
e. softer than
49. The voice classification for a high male is: _______.
a. soprano b. mezzo soprano
c. contralto/alto
d. baritone
e. tenor
50. What is the primary consideration for placing a musical instrument into a family?
a. how it produces sound
b. what it is made of
c. how it sounds
d. what it looks like
51. Tempo is a term which refers to the ______________
a. melody
b. dynamic level c. speed of the beats
52. A phrase usually ends with a(n):
a. interval
b. cadence
c. melody
d. sound of the instruments
d. beat
e. rhythm
53 The range of human hearing generally extends from _______________ Herz.
a. 10 to 100
b. 20 to 200
c. 50 to 5,000
d. 100 to 10,000
54. Which of the following is the low voice type for a male?
a. tenor
b. baritone
c. bass
d. falsetto
e. composer
e. 20 to 20,000
e. alto
55. The voice classification for a low female is: _______.
a. soprano
b. mezzo soprano
c. contralto/alto
d. baritone
e. tenor
56. A ______ is a resting place in music, and may be either temporary (incomplete) or permanent (complete).
a. pitch
b. cadence
c. rhythm
d. dynamic
e. mezzo soprano
57. When the beat is not evident in a musical work, it is said to be:
a. nonmetric
b. fast
c. inconclusive
d. cadence
58. The most common meter in music is:
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. four
e. accented
e. music has no meter
59. Which of the following terms is “I’m lovin’ it” in the McDonald’s song in their commercials?
a. meter
b. timbre
c. tempo
d. motive
e. beat
60. When you answer your phone without resorting to Caller ID, your can tell who you are talking to by which
of the elements of music/sound?
a. duration
b. pitch c. dynamics d. timbre
e. wouldn’t answer without Caller ID
61. Which of the following is NOT associated with the Duration element of music?
a. downbeat
b. syncopation
c. tempo
d. meter
e. voice
62. In most pieces of music, if the beat is not heard, it is _______________.
a. implied b. absent
c. too fast
d. too soft
e. too high
63. Which of the following instruments is not from the plucked string family?
a. mandolin
b. acoustic guitar
c. banjo
d. harmonica
e. electric guitar
III. Matching
64. _______
Consonance
A. device to alter the TIMBRE of a recording
65. _______
Active listening
B. Sudden change of dynamic level
66. _______
Melody
C. Gradually getting louder
67. _______
Crescendo
D. Italian word for “strong” or “loud”
68. _______
Equalizer
E. Concentrating on what you hear
69. _______
Passive listening
F. Subtle variations in pitch to enrich tone
70. _______
The “Ball”
G. Stable sound found in harmony
71. _______
Piano
H. Blending a pitch to the nearest exact note
72. _______
Tempo
I. How the beats are grouped (usually 2, 3, or 4)
73. _______
Groove
J. A pattern of shorts and longs
74. _______
Rhythm
K. Italian term for medium or half
75. _______
Meter
L. When the beat is not evident
76. _______
Auto Tune
M. Energy of a piece of music, beats and rhythms
77. _______
Non-metric
N. Italian word for “soft”
78. _______
Subito
O. Hearing in the background
79. ______
Forte
P. Prevalent part of a song at any given time
80. ______
Mezzo-
Q. Speed of the beats
81. ______
Vibrato
R. One pitch at a time; the “tune”
Answer Sheet and Part IV
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IV. True or False. For each statement, indicate if it is true or false. *BONUS - change each false statement to
make it read true.
82. ____
When a soloist is improvising in jazz, there is no attention paid to the harmony or form of the tune.
83. ____
The timbre of a work may be described as loud or soft, fast or slow.
84. ____
The shorter the vibrating element in an instrument, the higher the pitch.
85. ____
A crescendo is an arrival point or climax.
86. ____
Beethoven actually composed the song “Love of My Life”.
87. ____
If your voice type is a soprano, you can work very hard and become an alto.
88. ____
In any selection of music, once an instrument has “the Ball”, they will have it until the end.
89. ___
The Piano is the correct, full name of the large white instrument in our classroom.
90 ____
The softest instruments are placed at the front of the orchestra.
91. ____
When you hear a piece of music, timbre might not necessarily be present.
92. ____
The form of “Take the A Train” is BABA.
93. ____
The tune of a jazz composition played at the beginning and end is called the “tail”.
94. ____
Jazz in a style of music for instruments only, not voices.
95. ____
Humans are unable to hear frequencies below 1,000 Hz.
96. ____
Compression is used in audio recordings to reduce the dynamic range.
97. ____
The Loudness Wars are an imaginary concept to describe how concerts are getting louder.
98. ____
The Italian word for soft is piano.
99. ____
A sudden change in dynamic level is called a motive.
100. ___
Mezzo- means “full” or “heavy”.
V.**BONUS**
For every question you answer, provide as much detail as you are able. Each correct “point” you make in
your discussion will result in an extra credit “point” being applied to your final score. Feel free to make your
answers in essay or list form. You may use additional pages if necessary!
1.
Describe how the elements of music are most commonly used in everyday popular music.
2.
Describe the typical seating plan of an orchestra.
3.
List an example of each family of musical instruments, and describe its timbre in your own words.
4.
Describe how am mp3 file format compares to CD-quality audio.
5.
Discuss the Loudness Wars.